City Works to Beat the Heat

With the heat index reaching a high of 104 degrees in Glen Cove Tuesday, city officials stepped up efforts to beat the scorching temperatures.

The city established the Glen Cove Senior Center as a cooling center for residents from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, and Mayor Ralph Suozzi said it will remain one until the heat dissipates.  

"The most vulnerable people are seniors," Suozzi said. "But the senior center is open to anyone who feels their health may be compromised by the heat or they simply do not have air conditioning in their homes. We will also be providing rides to the senior center for the next two or three days."

The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for Long Island Tuesday morning, which reminded residents to stay cool and hydrated.  Temperatures, forecasters said, soared as high as 99 degrees Tuesday afternoon, with high levels of humidity. 

Suozzi said the city also issued a water conservation alert to residents on July 4 urging them to conserve their water usuage. The city used its SwiftReach emergency notification system to contact 7,450 residents. City officials were able to reach about 86 percent of the people on the list.

"With it being a holiday weekend and people inviting people over and more showering going on, we had to let people know that it was time to conserve water," Suozzi said. "It isn't the time to water lawns. It's safe to drink and everything's OK, but just keep our water levels in mind."

While the city does not have neighborhood pools, city authorities noted that residents should remember that the city's beaches are open. 

"Pryibil Beach and Morgan Park are open with lifeguards and concession stands," Suozzi said.

For more information about the cooling center, call Carol Waldman at (516) 759-9615.